They are decent examples, but they are still outlier examples. Most times, the team that focuses on scoring more goals than the other wins the game and the series. Physical play is a PART of the dynamic, but it doesn't make or break you the way it used to. It's a minor part at best.
@KdotAnderson
Prout is in, Peters said it was because he was the seventh ‘D’ man out of camp but also brings a heavy element in front of their net which they lacked on Wednesday.
The Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little, and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while the Company is true. Go Flames Go!
Stone is big, but about as physical as Dougie Hamilton
Stone lead the team in hits by a defenseman last year. Hamilton was tied for #3 with Hamonic, but Hamonic played 8 less games. Stone was the only defensman on the team with more than 100 hits. Giordano was just under 100.
But Stone isn't physical?
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But is having Prout in the lineup worth it for that one thing? And who goes out? We'd likely be missing Valimaki.
Ya. Prout has made the roster so he's capable of playing a few games here and there. If he wasn't going to play a game this season at all, then what even the point of him being here?
Stone lead the team in hits by a defenseman last year. Hamilton was tied for #3 with Hamonic, but Hamonic played 8 less games. Stone was the only defensman on the team with more than 100 hits. Giordano was just under 100.
But Stone isn't physical?
Meh, in the new nhl, any bump can be counted as a hit. Let me rephrase. Flames don't have any dmen that hit hard, that actually put any kind of fear in opposition forwards heads. Gudrabson likely caused the flames to be cautious every time he was on the ice. Heck, he probably doesn't have to throw a big hit for another few weeks, but other team forwards will come in being aware.
No, the flames don't have a single hard hitting, fear creating dman. Engelland had that element, and before him you probably have to go back to the era of regehr, Phaneuf, sarich, heck Marchment.
Ugh I am confusing my own self talking about this. I want a fast and skilled team., even if it comes at the cost of less toughness. If that fast & skilled team isn't good enough to score and win, or if they shy away from playing their game if a team starts to get physical, then it's pointless....
In the modern NHL? Absolutely. Gone are the knock-down battles of yesteryear. You need to fight for time and space, and in that sense, the physical nature of the game has never gone away, but I don't see a lot more in terms of big hits, and even fewer fights in the playoffs. Skill and speed are reigning supreme in the modern NHL.
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"You know, that's kinda why I came here, to show that I don't suck that much" ~ Devin Cooley, Professional Goaltender
The Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little, and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while the Company is true. Go Flames Go!
Modern NHL? His example was talking about Ferland in 2015 against the Canucks.
Well that's already over 3 years ago, and the game has continued to progress towards speed and skill in that time. Regardless, it's not the norm anymore to beat the crap out of the other team physically to win. Otherwise the Ducks and Kings would have a lot more success in recent years.
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"You know, that's kinda why I came here, to show that I don't suck that much" ~ Devin Cooley, Professional Goaltender
That last quote is chilling. I hope people take note of what he's saying. Prout is not a pawn. He's a human being. Don't treat him like arrow fodder and send him out just to punch another human being in the head.
Have we all forgotten the Bertuzzi incident so quickly?
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"You know, that's kinda why I came here, to show that I don't suck that much" ~ Devin Cooley, Professional Goaltender
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